2014 Ryder Cup results: Team Europe wins the cup at Gleneagles

There are still matches out on the course at Gleneagles, but the Ryder Cup will go to Europe for the 8th time in the last 10 competitions, the favorite winning at home in Sunday singles.

The USA needed a miracle on Sunday to come back and win their first Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993. It started well enough, with Tom Watson’s group jumping ahead in a majority of the matches and at one point, painting the board red in seven out of 12. But the heavily favored home team turned things quickly, and a European retention of the cup became inevitable as the Sunday singles session progressed.

With a 10-6 lead, Europe needed only four of the 12 points available to retain the cup. The US side, having lost at Medinah in 2012, had to win 8.5 of the 12 points to take the cup back across the Atlantic. The chances were slim-to-none, and the 10-6 deficit was hardly analogous to the one the Euros faced two years ago in Chicago.

The Northern Irish duo of Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy did the most damage at the top of the 12-match order, and ensured that the American comeback hopes would not last long into the day.

Jordan Spieth blitzed McDowell right out of the gate, taking a 3-up lead through the first five holes. The opening match is obviously crucial to any comeback chances. The captains send their strongest players out first to keep hope alive, put some points on the board, and try to build momentum or put the pressure on the opponent’s last few guys to clinch it. Spieth has been one of the USA’s top performers this week in Scotland, but he came undone on the back nine and gave away his 3-up lead.

McDowell is a veteran of these matches -- he earned the clinching point in the final Sunday singles match the last time the Ryder Cup was in Europe. As soon as Spieth’s game started to go sideways, he pounced. McDowell won four straight, holes 10 through 13, to promptly flip the match in Europe’s favor. It was a devastating turn for the USA’s chances. McDowell added to his margin, ensuring that the US would not even get a half-point out of that crucial lead-off match. The 2&1 win on the 17th green all but ended the USA’s chances.

Prior to the finish of that critical lead-off match, Rory McIlroy was busy demolishing Rickie Fowler, generally considered the USA’s top player coming into the event. Fowler hasn’t been his best this week, but Rory never even gave him hope. The No.1 player in the world played the first six holes in 6-under. He was flawless off the tee, steady with his irons, and perfect with the putter. That was good enough for a 5-up lead in the first six holes. Fowler looked overwhelmed and deflated. Rory clearly wasn’t letting an American comeback start with him.

After that incredible start to make it academic, McIlroy would finish it off on the 14th green. It was the first point of the day, and McDowell’s flip of the lead-off match came just a few minutes later.

Those first two points by the Ulsterman then set the ton for the rest of the session. Only two more were needed to retain the cup, and they were coming soon.

Martin Kaymer handled Bubba Watson, chipping in on the 16th green for a 4&2 victory. Justin Rose, Europe’s best player this week, kept his record undefeated when he came back from a 4-down deficit to halve his match on the 18th green. Hunter Mahan was cruising against Rose early, a USA point that would have been a huge part of a miracle comeback. But Rose has been too good this week and wasn’t going to go easily, erasing the 4-down margin and pushing it to the 18th hole. At the 18th, Mahan hit an awful flop shot, blowing his ball through the green and losing the hole for a halved match.

The Rose halve meant Europe only need a half-point from the remaining seven players out on the course. Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar took care of business for the USA, but it was only a matter of time before the half-point came in for Europe. Jamie Donaldson or Ian Poulter appeared to be the best candidates for the clincher. Donaldson, the rookie, was well ahead of Keegan Bradley, 4-up through the first 13 holes. As soon as the match went dormie, guaranteeing a half-point, the cup was officially going back to Europe. That happened at the 14th green, where Bradley and Donaldson halved a hole to put the Welshman 4-up with 4 to play. On the very next hole, he’d take fire a dagger into the 16th green to make it officially a “win” instead of mere “retention.” This shot led to a concession and a 4&3 victory to win the cup

We’ll update the results as they come in, but any USA points from here on in will be Pyrrhic victories.

UPDATE: The matches are now all in, and the final damage from the week is a 16.5 to 11.5 win for the European side.